Modern Times' strengths really shine in sandbox mode -- an area Tropico 4 shied away from -- which will provide more than enough hours for $20 of game for those who left Tropico 4 wanting more.

It may end with a slog, but I'd already gotten dozens of hours of rewarding tactical play by that point. Especially with the impressive multiplayer mode, I can strongly recommending Wargame: European Escalation as an expert and innovative blend of the best of the wargame genre with the best of the RTS.

By the time I reached the end, Mass Effect 3 had secured the trilogy's spot amongst my favorite science-fiction stories in any medium.

Flight intends to carve out a niche for pilots who want a more casual, friendly, and inclusive sim, and that's something that's never really been done before. In a best-case scenario, Flight could introduce this genre to gamers who typically have brushed it aside under the assumption that it's too hardcore.

Frustrating moments aside, Vessel is another shining example of how the independent games scene is flourishing with creativity and originality. At just $14.99, Vessel is around a quarter of the price of a AAA game, but it contains more flair and ingenuity than most blockbuster games can muster. Do yourself a favor and invest in this indie gem, because Vessel is a rich, fulfilling and splash-tastic journey.

With apologies to The Little Mermaid, perhaps third-person shooters aren't one of those things that's "much better, down where it's wetter, under the sea."

The upside is that all of these problems are presumably fixable via a patch -- this isn't the first PC game in history to ship with something busted. And I sincerely hope the team at 2K Sports can get around to addressing the issues I've encountered, because MLB 2K12 is is a lot of fun to play in single-player, and should be just as fun online. But right now it's in dire need of some Tommy John surgery if it has any hope of reviving its career.

The historical accuracy of Crusader Kings II leaves a little bit to be desired, and the restriction of only being able to play Christian dynasties is frustrating given the dynamism of the Middle East in that era. Yet when actually playing the game, there's always something to keep me motivated to keep going. There's always a plot that can be instigated, or a war with victory just out of reach, or an heir to find a suitable wife for. That's what makes a great strategy game, albeit one that tantalizingly feels like it could be even greater if it'd cut out some of the barriers to entry.

I can't say I had no fun at all playing Jagged Alliance: Back in Action -- in fact, I'm having an entertaining time replaying the early missions with an all-melee hit squad and doing better than my first time around -- but I can say that of the 50 hours of my life it took to put a bullet in the queen, I want about half of them back. Even hardcore strategy players are going to have a hell of a time liberating Arulco without it turning into a frustrating quagmire.

The PC version of Alan Wake includes the two mildly interesting special episodes that debuted on Xbox 360 post-release as DLC. Continuing from the end of the main game, these gritty episodes delve deeper into the psyche of Alan after his adventure in Bright Falls, but rehash themes and environments seen in the first six episodes. They're worth playing if you just can't get enough of Alan and the darkness swirling inside his noggin, just don't expect new environments or a clear resolution to the character's fate.

Dear Esther, however, presents something truly different. It's an experiment to be sure -- and one that's not entirely successful -- but it hits far more often than it misses. It's a strong start to a new breed of adventure that asks players to think instead of clicking on items until something arbitrarily happens.

It's easy to see the potential for King Arthur 2 to have been a good game rather than "not bad." But it never gets there, mostly because it's doing a half-dozen unrelated things at once, and none of them very well.

Gotham City Impostors isn't a free-to-play shooter, but it sure feels like one. Even as a $15 purchase, it's a game that's as eager to get you into its cash shop as its paltry five maps, with one of the slowest character customization systems ever to be unlocked by DLC, and matchmaking so poor that getting into a full 6v6 game actually feels like an achievement.

Speaking of tacked on, the way the brief (roughly an hour) four-player co-op campaign mode is wedged into the story cheapens the entire thing a bit, even if it is pretty entertaining to play.

Deep RPG elements combined with the intuitive action mechanics immediately establish 38 Studios and Big Huge Games as a duo to be reckoned with (sorry, couldn't resist). Like its reanimated main character, Reckoning starts slow and creaky, but give it a chance. Once you start sampling its many action-role-playing flavors, you'll discover a new franchise that delivers like a series that has been polished and tweaked for years.

The Steam blurb for Oil Rush says it "combines strategic challenge of classic RTS with sheer fun of Tower Defense." But as far as I can tell there's nothing more Tower Defenseish about Oil Rush than any other RTS in which you build defensive towers -- which is pretty much all of them. I'm not sure Unigine knows what Tower Defense is.

It's encouraging, though, that in just the week since SOL's been out the developers at Seamless have done a great job patching issues, with three released so far. It's a damn shame there are so many issues that are likely beyond the power of mere patches, because the space shooter genre badly needs a new classic to really get it going again.

Even if it does look really cool with its robots, aliens, and model spaceships, Unstoppable Gorg is just an unbalanced mess of a tower defense game. It seems to spend more time setting the player up to fail, than to offer a compelling reason to keep playing.

It's -- in all likelihood -- the most stylish thing ever to prominently feature janitors, but it definitely doesn't lack in substance. So move over, rotund Italian plumbers of the world. There's a new blue-collar hop 'n' bop hero on the block.

As a final misstep, there's no final, ultimate puzzle that combines all the mechanics I'd learned -- it just sort of ends.

It succeeds as both an MMORPG and a Star Wars game -- and if you're feeling burned by the past 12 years' worth of Lucas' meddling, I leave you with a final bit of reassurance: In all of my travels, I've never once come across a mention of a midichlorian or a Gungan. That's gotta be worth something, right?

It's frankly incredible to think that Running with Scissors made fans wait eight years for this. Is the trademark Postal "humor" still there? Postal Dude's frequent remarks about hoping to "kill women and minorities first" say hello. But a lack of freedom, unforgivable glitchiness, and generally terrible design make this a hard sell even for fans of the series.

Not surprising. There isn't much to play or buy here. Between its obsolete visuals, dead vehicle dynamics, atrocious AI, and deserted multiplayer lobbies, Flatout 3 is a decided waste of time and space.

Hamilton's Great Adventure is a good, solid puzzle game that's a refreshing midpoint between mindless casual tile-matchers like Bejeweled and antagonistic platform games like Super Meat Boy. Hamilton can hook you, but the routine of dealing with slow restarts and fine-tuning the camera to your liking puts a hamper on your quest for fortune. Then again, what's a great adventure without a few setbacks?

As long as it runs well, BtK's four new battlefields hold the potential for hundreds of hours of explosion-packed entertainment. It'd be easy to pass these off as just mere rehashes of old content, but there are enough tweaks and changes to breathe plenty of new life into the experience.

The biggest letdown of all, however, may be the quick-and-dirty nature of EDF's PC port, evident from the "Press A or click to start" opening prompt. It didn't crash on me, but that's it. Beyond that, however, it's locked at 30 frames per second, lacks any significant graphical options, and has a multiplayer match-finding tool that could be unfavorably compared to a maze filled with minotaurs.

The Doctor Who Cloned Me does at least include four new maps for the generally entertaining multiplayer modes, but no one seems to be playing them online, so they're pretty lonely -- and that situation isn't going to get any better when people hear what a waste of $10 this DLC is.

The silver lining in all of this is that the game is kept compact, and To the Moon can be finished in a sitting or two, before it really wears out its welcome.

Trine 2 is a genuinely lovable game, and one that I can safely and heartily recommend to nearly everyone.

Controls and lonliness issues aside, I did enjoy most of my time with SkyDrift. It's a well-produced budget racing game with a wide variety of racetracks, and a nice change of pace that doesn't involve dragons or terrorists. Just make sure to try the demo first to be certain you can handle the control weirdness.

It's still not nearly enough to save what is a fundamentally bad shooter. The smartest thing GamersFirst did was make APB: Reloaded free-to-play, allowing players to find out for themselves without the upfront cost.

The revamped GUI leads you brilliantly and "ergonomically" to the build chains you want to produce the goods you desire, without needing to constantly recourse to rollover tips or a game encyclopedia (although both are also available), and this just makes the whole experience pleasant and logical.

I think the biggest "revelation" to come out of this most recent Assassin's Creed title is that the series has reached a burnout state. I hope the team takes a break and gets back to the drawing board to analyze how the series itself can move forward, and to be innovative again, rather than being hard pressed to meet a release date.

I can really only think of one down side to Serious Sam -- it costs $40. This is a game that provides hours of good, stupid fun, sure, but that just seems a bit steep for a game that's neither particularly novel nor very long from start to finish.

Now that we've finally played the PC version, I'm happy to report that it will be the definitive version of Arkham City... eventually.

Need for Speed: The Run is an odd duck. It's an arcade racer that does some things really well, but is insistent on having you interact at times with a Michael Bay-esque experience (I guess that's why he was asked to direct that trailer). Like his films, The Run is much more about style than substance. It's a decent arcade racer, and for those looking for a mindless racing experience, chances are you'll find something to like here.

Minecraft is what you make of it, and that makes it pretty damn special.

Jurassic Park just feels like an iOS title, and it suffers on the PC because of it.

Saints Row: The Third is junk food; it's camp; it's a girl you wouldn't want your friends to catch you with. It's also fun, crude without being stupid, fast-paced without feeling empty, and solidly made (aside from the aforementioned bugs).

On paper, it sounds brilliantly inventive. Nail-biting edge-of-your-seat conversation? That's practically unheard of in games. Unfortunately, L.A. Noire drops the ball.

The world of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a vast expanse of sheer beauty, danger, and adventure -- you can also terrorize townsfolk, get punched in the face by a giant, and fight a ton of dragons. Those are just a few of the reasons why we love this game so much.

I can understand why Modern Warfare 3 has changed so little in the last four years, given that so much money is resting upon its shoulders, but that doesn't make this developmental stasis any more forgivable.

Sure, it's a bargain-priced gore fest and I guess that means we're not supposed to expect a lot -- but Hell's Reach will underwhelm even the most jaded gamers. It just isn't very much fun.

Despite the audiovisual grandeur of the rest of Generations, the shortcomings make it feel like little more than a "popcorn game" -- exhilarating, not very serious, and over before you get a chance to take it all in.

At its core, War in the North isn't a bad game; it's merely a disappointing one.

Glitches and control scheme issues aside, I had a tremendous amount of fun playing through Renegade Ops. Variety of vehicles and playstyles, tons of cool powers to upgrade, and the online features make it a solid offering for PC gamers who are fans of twin-stick arcade shooters -- especially if you like some '80s action-flick machismo thrown in for good measure.

I could go on with this litany of problems: random peasants that incessantly block the placement of structures, a ridiculously shallow tutorial, stability problems – but there's no need. Stronghold 3 is a very bad game that simply feels like it was hurriedly cobbled together and released with a minimum of testing.

I've had a tremendous amount of fun with Dungeon Defenders. Yes there are some glitches but the team has been working hard to iron out theses bugs on what seems like a bi-daily basis. It's great to see this much dedicated support to a game after launch. It's a charming little-big game that's full of challenging adventures that fans and newcomers to the genre will appreciate.

For PC gamers at least, the decision by Dice to lead on our beloved platform has resulted in a game that delivers a truly next-generation feel. BF3 is an absolutely massive experience, but it's the explosive multiplayer mode that makes this the must-have FPS of the year. There's simply no other shooter that lets you wage war on a scale this huge, but even better is the infinite number of satisfying ways to lay the hurt down on your opponents.

There's little that takes away from the game, but also little that makes it stand out.

The real killjoy – and potential deal breaker – is the horrendous UPlay system's draconian requirement that you be connected to the internet at all times to play.

Rest assured that the whole feeling like a cybernetic bad-ass is fully intact in this five hour adventure.

The game's many layers reveal themselves in a steady, satisfying progression that keep the game fresh, interesting, and most of all, flat-out-fun.

As always, Turbine serves its storyline with as much love and attention as a hobbit does his breakfast.

There's a lot to like about Rage, but for every good thing it does there's something equally annoying or dated, leading to a very uneven experience. Adroit fans of the first person shooter will still enjoy themselves, especially after the first couple of yawn-inducing hours pass and things really start hotting up, but it's not quite the masterpiece we know id were once capable of.

Much of Genesis' desert dry tedium would evaporate if it was just a turn-based title. You wouldn't have to spend what feels like an eternity manually sending units to check on every little thing. As is, though, this Game of Thrones feels more like a game of musical chairs set to elevator music: slow, devoid of charm, and utterly lacking in payoff.

Sprinkled with humor and nods to gaming's past, The Binding of Isaac is a ballsy game that revels in its absurd moments. Shock value aside, you'll want to play this indie gem over and over again. It's imaginative, utterly absorbing, and the best five dollars I've spent all year.

It may not have every team, every stadium, every tournament, and every player out there, but there's plenty enough in its gameplay to satisfy any video game soccer fan.

While last year's effort truly took my breath away, I can't shake the feeling that this year's effort is more of an engine tune up than a complete rebuild. It still remains the number one F1 game on the market, but that's more about the lack of any competition than the game pushing the boundaries of last year's winning entrant.

TrackMania 2: Canyon builds on the series' basic but aggressively addictive racing formula without hamstringing its newcomer-friendliness or sacrificing the over-the-top vibe of its zany track designs.Highly recommended for fans of adrenaline racing.

The kind of shooter that can live only on the PC. It's far deeper than console shooters, and makes no concessions to accessibility to appeal to a casual audience. This is as hardcore as first person shooters get, and if you're prepared to put the time in to learn how to play it well, you'll be rewarded with a level of satisfaction that team deathmatch will never deliver.

While its mechanics can become tiresome the further you progress, ACE Team's signature presentation and wry humor manage to pull it through. Just like Zeno Clash before it, Rock of Ages as a whole is unlike any other game I've played or seen before, and that's a rare thing to be able to say.

By the end of my roughly eight-hour, straight-forward Space Marine adventure, I couldn't help but feel Relic Games missed out on a golden opportunity to take what is a good game – and a strong debut for the Space Marine franchise – and elevate it to great.

The gameplay is tight and punchy, and the overall experience is so well-crafted that it's worth soaking up every last insane moment.

Ultimately, this isn't just a great zombie game. It's a great open-world game, a great action game, a great RPG, and a great co-operative multiplayer game. Being a masterpiece with a unique appreciation for zombies is just gravy.

Things may not be perfect this time out, but I do my best, and my reign ends on my terms. I make a beeline for the New Game button, vowing to stick to my proven playbook from the get-go.

It's a beautiful, poetic game that inspires creativity, despite its technical struggles.

Although it doesn't quite match the lofty excellence of the original Deus Ex, it's a much better game than Invisible War and a welcome rebirth for a brand that many – including me – thought was long past its prime. Not quite a classic, but definitely worth your money and time.

It's fun while it lasts, and I can't wait to see what other cool narrative ideas Supergiant Games comes up with for future games.

Taking into account the small development group and the price, I'm hard-pressed not to recommend this game as a must-have.

I can say that if you're tired of the preoccupation with the omnipresent emotion of "fun" most games seemingly need to contain, and like the idea of an experience which garners actual thought, you would do well to give Trauma a look; just remember that what you'll find will depend entirely on what you're looking for.

All in all, Agents of Change delivers, giving Brink fans more of what they want, while adding abilities that offer fresh gameplay strategies -- no matter what the map. Bethesda apologized for Brink's launch issues with this robust, free add-on. Apology accepted!

Legacy is a promising development for fans hoping the franchise's third installment will feature a return to the tactical gameplay of Dragon Age: Origins. Unfortunately, it's a bit too late for Dragon Age II, and Legacy's legacy is as a $10 reminder of the full game's shortcomings.

With more than 13 hours' worth of fun, hilarious, and classic Fallout content, Fallout: new Vegas -- Old World Blues is a must for any New Vegas owner.

Gods & Heroes might have made a passable showing in 2005 in its current state, but in this age of Rift and the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic, Heatwave's new release might as well be a Pompeian graffito in a Rembrandt exhibition.

The ground it treads is hardly innovative, and the grind is intolerable. Clan play helps to skirt these issues, but in general, World of Tanks is a dull slog to be enjoyed solely between rounds of other, more interesting games. Vision slit.

Aside from these few relatively minor negatives, F.E.A.R. 3 is a very solid shooter that covers a lot of the right bases -- I just wish the developers had put as much imagination and creativity into the single-player campaign as they did into coming up with new multiplayer modes. And, you know, actually made it a bit more scary.

Aside from these few relatively minor negatives, F.E.A.R. 3 is a very solid shooter that covers a lot of the right bases -- I just wish the developers had put as much imagination and creativity into the single-player campaign as they did into coming up with new multiplayer modes. And, you know, actually made it a bit more scary.

Aside from these few relatively minor negatives, F.E.A.R. 3 is a very solid shooter that covers a lot of the right bases -- I just wish the developers had put as much imagination and creativity into the single-player campaign as they did into coming up with new multiplayer modes. And, you know, actually made it a bit more scary.

And yet, despite Shadow of the Damned being a more approachable adventure than the typical Grasshopper creation, it's what you see and hear over the course of the 10-12 hour campaign that really sticks with you.

And yet, despite Shadow of the Damned being a more approachable adventure than the typical Grasshopper creation, it's what you see and hear over the course of the 10-12 hour campaign that really sticks with you.

Trite as it is and pointless as Obsidian's slavish adherence to some of the old standby systems (like loot and leveling) seems, I genuinely hope it gets another crack at Dungeon Siege. The series has never been particularly memorable, but at least under Obsidian's guidance, it's mostly fun.

A sterling example of epic 3D adventure done right -- the likes of which you won't find on any portable until Nintendo announces an original adventure or gives The Wind Waker the 3D treatment. I'd prefer something new, but if I'm going to relive decade-old stories, this is a helluva way to do it.

A startlingly modern experience, one that marries unparalleled aesthetic design with motion controls that actually matter, resulting in a one-of-a-kind trip that promises to stick with you long after you've liberated Lumi.

And that, as insane as it sounds, is the crux of the matter: Duke Nukem Forever feels like it was rushed out the door. So many of the design decisions are poor, so much of the maps are unbalanced (going from uneventful to extremely difficult in a flash), and the graphics are so shoddy, that an experienced gamer can come to no other conclusion.

And that, as insane as it sounds, is the crux of the matter: Duke Nukem Forever feels like it was rushed out the door. So many of the design decisions are poor, so much of the maps are unbalanced (going from uneventful to extremely difficult in a flash), and the graphics are so shoddy, that an experienced gamer can come to no other conclusion.

The first title established him and set our expectations for Sucker Punch's universe, but the sequel expands it into a highly entertaining, thrilling, and responsive action game bursting with stout combat.

Whether you see it as a fantasy-slanted Gears homage or a punched-up and streamlined dungeon-crawler, the end result is roughly the same: Hunted is an adequate diversion for co-op aficionados, but little more.

The real issue here isn't so much that Armageddon is a mediocre game -- which it is -- rather that it's such a letdown after its excellent predecessor.

The real issue here isn't so much that Armageddon is a mediocre game -- which it is -- rather that it's such a letdown after its excellent predecessor.

Whether you see it as a fantasy-slanted Gears homage or a punched-up and streamlined dungeon-crawler, the end result is roughly the same: Hunted is an adequate diversion for co-op aficionados, but little more.

Daggerdale comes across as a careless and sloppily executed venture. Even if such problems are eventually addressed, this rigid and uninspired quest is little more than an adequate adventure, legendary namesake be damned.

Strong concept, weak execution. Add in the dated look of the game, and numerous bugs and glitches new and old, and Honest Hearts isn't worth the $10.

Not even a terrible introductory sequence can take away from what is otherwise a fantastic game. Sure, the story is goofy, and at times the fighting is offensively clunky. The world isn't as colossal as the first Witcher's, and the ending is a bit of a tease. But in a time when I rarely bother to finish single-player games, I'm happy (and slightly embarrassed) to say that I'm already several hours into a second playthrough of Assassins of Kings. And I can't think of a better compliment than that.

It's good to see the company broaden its horizons more and more; L.A. Noire plays its tropes well, and it's a fine exploration of the crime-adventure genre's flip side.

It's good to see the company broaden its horizons more and more; L.A. Noire plays its tropes well, and it's a fine exploration of the crime-adventure genre's flip side.

Despite these issues, all the elements are in place for Brink to become a terrific multiplayer shooter. It handles well, offers customization options galore, and challenges FPS players to do more than just pull the trigger.

Despite these issues, all the elements are in place for Brink to become a terrific multiplayer shooter. It handles well, offers customization options galore, and challenges FPS players to do more than just pull the trigger.